On 20th anniversary of 9/11, how to watch the TV programs commemorating the attacks
It’s been 20 years since a string of terrorist attacks devastated the United States on Sept. 11, and every major TV network has prepared a robust slate of programming to commemorate the anniversary of the tragedy.
NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS, CNN and other stations will be airing news coverage, documentaries and TV specials centering on the events of Sept. 11 throughout the weekend.
Combined, the plethora of Sept. 11 content will include firsthand accounts from government officials, first responders and survivors, as well as loved ones of those who died during the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93.
Here’s a breakdown of the TV schedule spanning Friday and Saturday. All showtimes are Pacific.
A reporter remembers Sept. 11, 2001, when he was 8 years old, and examines how the terrorist attacks influenced his millennial generation.
‘Today’
Where to watch: NBC
When: Friday at 10 a.m.
What: A mental health-themed Sept. 11 segment hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, following Kotb’s and Savannah Guthrie’s coverage of the anniversary of the attacks.
‘The View’
Where: ABC
When: Friday at 10 a.m.
What: Original “View†co-host Star Jones will return to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘NFL 360’
Where: NFL
When: Friday at 6 p.m.
What: The NFL will reflect on how the Sept. 11 attacks affected and continue to impact the football community 20 years later.
‘9/11: The Legacy’
Where: History
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
What: A documentary featuring interviews with young adults whose lives were impacted by the attacks when they were children.
Twenty years after terrorists crashed hijacked planes into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania, the U.S. is still reckoning with the attack that toppled the twin towers, killed nearly 3,000 people, triggered a wave of increased security and launched a war on terrorism.
‘The CIA: Race Against Time — The True Story of the CIA and 9/11’
Where: CBS and Paramount+
When: Friday at 8 p.m.
What: A documentary featuring interviews with CIA officials and operatives recounting their efforts to warn the United States about the threat of a catastrophic attack organized by Osama bin Laden.
‘Rise and Fall: The World Trade Center’
Where: History
When: Friday at 8 p.m.
What: A documentary featuring interviews with people who helped design and build the Twin Towers, as well as some survivors who worked in them at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘9/11/01: The First Night’
Where: MSNBC
When: Friday at 9 p.m.
What: A compilation of coverage from the night after the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘9/11: One Day in America’
Where: NGC
When: Friday at 9 p.m.
What: A special centering on the firefighters who responded to the Sept. 11 attacks and rushed to rescue survivors from the rubble.
From ‘Shock and Awe’ to the death of Bin Laden, U.S. networks treated the war as a distant spectacle. Overseas, it was brutally, frightfully close.
‘The Hunt for Bin Laden’
Where: Smithsonian Channel
When: Friday at 9 p.m.
What: A special documenting the United States’ 10-year manhunt for Osama bin Laden, who orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks and was killed by American special forces in Pakistan in 2011.
‘20/20’
Where: ABC
When: Friday at 9:01 and 10:01 p.m.
What: David Muir will speak with survivors and families of Sept. 11 victims lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United Flight 93. Then, Diane Sawyer will interview 20-year-olds whose mothers were pregnant with them when their fathers died in the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘Dateline’
Where: NBC
When: Friday at 10 p.m.
What: Lester Holt will speak with loved ones of the flight crew and passengers of Flight 93, including some of their children, who will unite publicly for the first time.
‘Come From Away’
Where: Apple TV+
When: Friday anytime
What: A taping of a performance of a Tony Award-winning musical about United States citizens stranded in Newfoundland, Canada, during the Sept. 11 attacks, filmed at New York City’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in May 2021.
On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people died after terrorists hijacked four jetliners, crashing two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and a third into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers revolted against the hijackers.
‘9/11: 20 Years Later’
Where: CNN
When: Saturday at 7 a.m.
What: News coverage of memorial services for the victims of Sept. 11.
‘Good Morning America Saturday’ and ‘9/11 Twenty Years Later’
Where: ABC
When: Saturday at 7 and 8 a.m.
What: A rare weekend installment of “Good Morning America†covering the 20th anniversary of 9/11, followed by a special reflecting on its lasting impact. David Muir, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer and other correspondents will lead ABC News’ Sept. 11 programming.
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ and more
Where: Fox News
When: Saturday beginning at 8 a.m.
What: Fox News coverage will begin in the morning with moments of silence acknowledging the attacks, followed by special episodes of “Fox & Friends Weekend,†“America’s Newsroom,†“Cavuto Live†and “Fox News Live,†all set in Manhattan.
‘America Remembers: 20 Years Later’
Where: MSNBC
When: Saturday at 9 a.m.
What: Reporting on national events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘The Mercedes-Benz College Football Tribute’
Where: CBS
When: Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
What: Adam Zucker, Rick Neuheisel and Brian Jones will commemorate the anniversary while previewing the annual service academy football game between Air Force and Navy.
A generation of American Muslims has grown up in a world in which one terrible day changed their country. Visibility makes young women wearing hijabs especially vulnerable.
‘Shine a Light: 9/11 Tribute Concert’
Where: CNN
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
What: A musical tribute to the victims and survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks featuring Brad Paisley, Common and H.E.R., as well as conversations with young adults whose parents died in the tragedy.
‘MLB Baseball’
Where: KTTV
When: Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
What: Rival New York baseball teams the Yankees and the Mets will square off. Bobby Valentine, 2001 manager of the Mets, will throw the first pitch to Joe Torre, 2001 manager of the Yankees, and first responders will be recognized before the game.
‘9/11: We Remember’
Where: KTLA
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
What: A special recounting the events of Sept. 11 in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
‘The 9/11 Classroom’
Where: CNN
When: Saturday at 4 p.m.
What: Hosted by Victor Blackwell, “The 9/11 Classroom: Front Row to History†centers on the second-grade students, teacher and former White House staff members who were in a classroom with former President George W. Bush when he was first informed of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Twenty years on, Benjamin Oreskes knows the Sept. 11 attacks profoundly shaped him, but he’s still sorting out how.
‘Great Performances’
Where: KPBS and KOCE
When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
What: Ballerina Misty Copeland will host a performance of the Verdi Requiem honoring the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
‘Surviving 9/11’
Where: Discovery
When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
What: A special documenting the terrorist siege on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93 that unfolded over two hours on Sept. 11.
‘9/11: Four Flights’
Where: History
When: Saturday at 8 p.m.
What: A special featuring interviews with loved ones of those who died on the four flights targeted by terrorists on Sept. 11.
‘9/11: One Day in America’
Where: NGC
When: Saturday at 9 p.m.
What: A special centering on those searching for their loved ones in the giant dust cloud that formed after the collapse of the Twin Towers.
After saying he had ‘questions’ about the Sept. 11 attacks, Spike Lee cuts 30 minutes about the collapse of the Twin Towers from his docuseries.
‘NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½’
Where: HBO
When: Saturday at 10 p.m.
What: The finale of director Spike Lee’s four-part documentary series examining the effects of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City.
‘9/11: I Was There’
Where: History
When: Saturday at 10:03 p.m.
What: A documentary featuring footage of the Sept. 11 attacks filmed by civilians who witnessed them.
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